Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. has returned to practice and had his 21-day window to return opened, the team announced Thursday. Trice remains on injured reserve, but this is a clear step to return to the 53-man roster and the field, allowing him to play as soon as this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens.
Trice has been shelved since suffering a hamstring injury early in the Steelers’ Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. It was another injury in a long line of them throughout Trice’s career, suffering multiple knee and leg injuries in college and tearing his ACL as a rookie with the Steelers.
It was an unfortunate moment for Trice, who was coming off his first NFL interception the week before against the Denver Broncos, a critical end-zone interception in a low-scoring affair. He had carved out a role as a dime defender in obvious passing situations. It’s unclear if he’ll resume that role once he’s activated or if Cam Sutton, fresh off an eight-game suspension, will take over that responsibility.
During his Tuesday press conference ahead of Week 10, Mike Tomlin indicated that Trice was one of several injured Steelers to “have a chance” to play against the Washington Commanders. But Trice’s window never opened up. Instead, WR Ben Skowronek was designated to return and activated before the game. During his Tuesday presser, Tomlin reiterated optimism Trice could come back this week.
For Trice to officially re-join the roster, he’ll have to be activated and placed on the team’s 53-man roster by Saturday at 4 PM/EST. With the roster full, the Steelers would need to make a corresponding move to accommodate him on the roster.
Pittsburgh will release its first injury report later Wednesday with its final one issued on Friday afternoon. Trice is one of several Steelers who remain on IR, including WR Roman Wilson and DL Logan Lee, both rookies.
The Steelers and Ravens kick off Sunday at 1 PM/EST.
